Please try using this CVS snapshot:

  http://snaps.php.net/php4-STABLE-latest.tar.gz
 
For Windows:
 
  http://snaps.php.net/win32/php4-win32-STABLE-latest.zip

I tried PHP 4.3.8-dev and it is not crashing. So I am closing the bug. I will reopen if it occures on the machine I initially tried.

Thanks

Ok.. It crashes on two servers

And on the third machine it gives the following warning:
Warning: Compilation failed: internal error: code overflow at offset 72 in C:\work\servers\Apache2\htdocs\test\PHP\crashtest.php on line 7

(line 7 is the preg_match thing)
But it does not crash. The php.ini options are the same.

Thanks,
Amol

What's the difference in the 3rd server to the 2 others..?
And are you aware that PCRE has certain limitations what it can handle and what not?

[root@devbox scott]# php -v
PHP 4.3.8-dev (cli) (built: Jul  6 2004 17:26:46)
Copyright (c) 1997-2004 The PHP Group
Zend Engine v1.3.0, Copyright (c) 1998-2004 Zend Technologies

[root@devbox scott]# uname -a
Linux devbox 2.4.20-31.9 #1 Tue Apr 13 18:04:23 EDT 2004 i686 athlon i386 GNU/Linux

#0  0x4207491d in _int_free () from /lib/tls/libc.so.6
#1  0x42073908 in free () from /lib/tls/libc.so.6
#2  0x080bac88 in php_pcre_compile (pattern=0x82e8fa4 "(^|[^a-zA-Z0-9-])([Nn]on[-s? []]]degrees?[Ss]tudents?)([^a-zA-Z0-9-]|$)", 
    options=4, errorptr=0xbfffc264, erroroffset=0xbfffc268, tables=0x82e8160 "")
    at /usr/local/src/php-4.3.8-dev/ext/pcre/pcrelib/pcre.c:5088
#3  0x080c1270 in pcre_get_compiled_regex (
    regex=0x82e04cc "/(^|[^a-zA-Z0-9-])([Nn]on[-s? []]]degrees?[Ss]tudents?)([^a-zA-Z0-9-]|$)/es", extra=0xbfffc358, 
    preg_options=0xbfffc35c) at /usr/local/src/php-4.3.8-dev/ext/pcre/php_pcre.c:257
#4  0x080c1513 in php_pcre_match (ht=137265364, return_value=0x82e8114, this_ptr=0x0, return_value_used=0, global=0)
    at /usr/local/src/php-4.3.8-dev/ext/pcre/php_pcre.c:391
#5  0x080c1e59 in zif_preg_match (ht=4, return_value=0x82e8114, this_ptr=0x0, return_value_used=0)
    at /usr/local/src/php-4.3.8-dev/ext/pcre/php_pcre.c:594
#6  0x0816d836 in execute (op_array=0x82e3f14) at /usr/local/src/php-4.3.8-dev/Zend/zend_execute.c:1635
#7  0x08160ef9 in zend_execute_scripts (type=8, retval=0x0, file_count=3) at /usr/local/src/php-4.3.8-dev/Zend/zend.c:891
#8  0x0813ae67 in php_execute_script (primary_file=0xbfffe9d0) at /usr/local/src/php-4.3.8-dev/main/main.c:1731
#9  0x081724c7 in main (argc=2, argv=0xbfffea54) at /usr/local/src/php-4.3.8-dev/sapi/cli/php_cli.c:822
#10 0x42015704 in __libc_start_main () from /lib/tls/libc.so.6

No feedback was provided for this bug for over a week, so it is
being suspended automatically. If you are able to provide the
information that was originally requested, please do so and change
the status of the bug back to "Open".

This seems very similar to the PCRE bug December 2003 No. 14
http://sourceforge.net/project/shownotes.php?release_id=469336&group_id=10194)
"Bug fixes include:
...
14. A pattern such as /[ab]{1,3}+/ failed to compile, giving the error
"internal error: code overflow...". This applied to any character class
that was followed by a possessive quantifier."

The above is essentially a "this is a solution" (not that I have solved it). Why is it not a good idea to post solutions? Is this bug tracker only to help cure the latest stable versions of php? There are many people using older versions, that want to know how to make the older versions of php work. It is with them in mind that I humbly submit this suggestion - to update PCRE. 

Thank you for php.
Tim